There are many devices available for latching heavy objects such as aircraft doors to their opened and closed positions. Unlike latch devices which catch lightweight objects, the design of rod end locks require balancing the bending moment between its mounting position and its latch point. In fact, the desired design should induce no such bending moment from its latch point to its mounting connection.
Existing rod end locks minimize the bending moment by offsetting the mounting position from the centerline of a locked barrel to compensate for the end moment applied by the latch end. Such a design creates manufacturing inefficiences since machining of offset components is more difficult than machining concentric components. A rod end lock having offset components with the accompanying bending moments also creates greater stresses at various component interfaces.